Searching for Occupational Therapist Schools near Marco Island, FL? Let us help you locate the best OTA school for you!

When youstart your search for Occupational therapy Assistant schools in Marco Island, FL, you will probablysoonlearn that there has never been a better time togo after a career as an Occupational Therapy Assistant. The U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statisticspredicts jobs in thisfield to expand by 43% over the ten year period 2010-2020, this means over 12,000 new Occupational Therapy Assistant jobs! The even better news is the fact that the averageOccupational Therapy Assistant earningsis greater than $53,000 per yearmaking itamongst the best paying healthcarejobs that does not require a University Degree.

Occupational Therapy Schools in Marco Island, FL

The initial steptowards a career as an OTA is selecting the rightOccupational Therapy Program. There are at this timeapproximatelytwo hundred accredited occupational therapy schools in the US and Puerto Rico and most of the schools accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) offer Occupational Therapist Assistant degrees and Master’s Degrees, with many also offering Doctoral degrees. Before youdive in topick a training program, you might want toexamine all of your alternativesand makecertainyou locate an Occupational Therapy school that fulfills all your needs.

Items YouMust ConsiderWhen Picking an Occupational Therapy School

Accreditation

Accreditation by the ACOTE is essential because you will beconfidentyou willbe taught the full variety oftechniquesnecessary to bea knowledgeable OTA.

Curriculum

Occupational Therapy Assistants assist patients on a wide variety ofissues and disorders so it iscrucial that your schooling is very diversifiedrather then too dedicated toone particulararea of specialization.

Clinical Training

Another significantfeatureyou should look at is the clinical training experience. This is yourhands-on training, itis whereyou will interact with actual patients and put your skills to use. Some schools commitconsiderably more time on your actual clinicaltraining when compared to theother schools. In situations where your school is not investinga large amount of time with clinical training, be sure that youask why.

Class Size

Something else to consider is the class sizes. The size of your classmay vary considerably from college to college. Be sure to find out the class sizes at all the schools you are researching. Keep in mind, the smaller the classes , the more one-on-one teachingthat you receive with theprofessors.

Online Training

Taking Occupational Therapy Classes Online might not work for each individual student. Yet, for many of us online courses can easemany of the burdens of being a full time student. Work and family membersare sometimespushed aside while students continue their schooling and online classes providea bit of flexibility to a busy life.

Graduation Rate

The lastitemthat you have tocheck outbefore choosing an Occupational Therapy School is the rate of the schoolsyou are evaluating. Be sure to find out how many studentsfinish the program, what their opinions were, and just how many of them have gone tocareers as OTA’s.

Programs:

Since 1977, Keiser University has maintained a practical, hands-on approach to career-focused education to help our students achieve their personal and professional goals. Our student-centered approach remains at the foundation of the Keiser University mission and continues to attract students who prefer a more personal learning experience.

Building on Purdue's mission to provide greater access to affordable, world-class education, Purdue University Globaldelivers a fully personalized online experience that's tailored to working adults. By opening the doors to adults who need flexibility to fit learning into their busy lives, we make it possible to achieve a high-quality education from a prestigious university system—completely online.

Programs:

Northcentral University was founded in 1996 to provide working professionals around the world with unprecedented access to richly engaging, professionally relevant, and academically-rigorous education from a U.S. university.

As a regionally accredited, private, online and graduate-focused university, NCU offers doctoral, master’s and bachelor’s degrees in business, technology management, education, and psychology, as well as doctoral and master’s degrees in marriage and family therapy.

Programs:

Health Psychology - PhD of Psychology

Health Psychology - MA in Psychology

Health Psychology - C.A.G.S. in Psychology

And more...

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What to Expect in OTA School

In most cases the course work is approximatelytwo years, with the first year being predominantlyclass-roomteaching and with the second year spent carrying out hands on training in a hospital facility or private careoffice. Some of the course work a student will be required to take includes pediatrics, gerontology, health careterminology, and physical rehabilitation. All States that require licensure only wanta 2 year degree. A Bachelor’s Degree is going to berequiredif you intend on becoming a full Occupational Therapist, but the truth is you will find that the majority of Occupational Therapist started their careers as Assistants and earned their Bachelor’s Degrees a few years later.

Licensing Information and Facts

Following graduation, those ready toget started on their careers will need to become certified as an occupational therapist assistant. Every State has its own policies and specificationsthat will be governed by an occupational therapy board, with some being private while others are run by the State exclusively. In Florida, licensing is controlled by the Florida Board of Occupational Therapy Practice. Althougheach State is unique, there are a number of requirements that happen to be common among many of them and include the following.

Any individualapplying for an occupational therapy assistant licensewill have to be a U.S. citizen, needs to have a social security number and must have taken and completedappropriate college course work as well as taken and passed the NBCOT exam.

Each State requires a federal background check , however convictions are not necessarilyimmediate grounds for dismissal. A handful of States may consider approving an occupational therapy license in a case where a written affidavit is filed to clarify the circumstances of the conviction. Additional factors including time frame and nature of the criminal offense may be assessed and be considered to approve licensure .

Each State will provide an Occupational Therapy Assistant licensure kitthat is going toinclude several forms to complete. Neverpurchase these forms from a third party since they can be found online from many trustworthysites. It is advised to take a very extensive look through the forms before attempting to complete them. There will be official transcripts needed; notarized signatures and several States will need you to submit a fingerprint card which can be completed at a local police station.

Workplace for Occupational Therapy Assistants

An OTA will work with a number of different patients that have needs which may betotally differentthan from the previous patient. You could beworking in an outpatient facility with toddlersthat happen to have food or texture aversions or maybe a hospital rehabilitation facility working with a middle age man with emotional struggles . Although an occupational therapy assistant possessesa large number of job skills, a few of the basics like following direction, keeping up to date with the most current techniques and implementing and applying the available technologiesare the most important. Finally, a COTA should also be somewhat physically fit, asyou will have several instances of shifting patients around, including from a bed to a wheel chair.

If this sounds like the career for you, then take a few minutes and visit the search form at the top of this page. You will be shown a list of training programs near Marco Island, FL that offer Occupational Therapy Assistant training. Request information from as many schools as you’d like, and good luck in your future career!

Thank You for creating such an informative website. I was able to get more info about the various schools in my area and chose one that worked for me. I’m now ready to start my training and can’t wait to work as an OTA.